Defenders of Hope
by LexiAmbroseCabana
Summary: A little vigilante justice never hurt anything, especially when it's the only likely way to free the city of Belholt from the grasp of the McMahon family. Shane returns to town ready to get his hands dirty in an effort to save the city, but he's not the only person looking to push his family out of power. Shane/OC; rated for language, violence, and sexual content.
1. Introduction

The city of Belholt was founded as a small farming community in the late 1800's. A village founded on wholesome ideals and traditions revolving around family and community; everybody was honest and trustworthy, not one person would ever consider betraying their neighbor for any reason. A small village it was, but a small village it would not remain. One of the founding families of Belholt was the McMahon family; and over the years the McMahon family stayed in Belholt, collecting their fortunes until the present time where the McMahon family ruled the now bustling city.

What Belholt once was is no more, the wholesome values and traditions run into the dirt by the greedy and power hungry McMahons. Belholt today is a haven for liars and thieves, organized crime running rampant across the city with the McMahons at the top of the food chain.

Vincent Kennedy McMahon, longstanding mayor of the city and the most corrupt politician anyone would ever meet. Not a soul was courageous enough to oppose him to run for office, most likely because anybody who ever tried mysteriously disappeared. The police were in his back pocket, seeing as his son in law was the commissioner, therefore nobody even looked into the disappearances. Everybody knew better than to stick their nose where it didn't belong, his daughter ensured that.

Stephanie McMahon Helmsley was the crime lord of the family. Despite not really needing it, she covered up her involvement in the crime world by her heavy involvement in the entertainment business. In addition to her talent agency, she also ran a series of gentlemen's clubs and an escort service on the side. Nothing happened in Belholt without her hearing about it, her husband's position as police commissioner and her clubs giving her all of the eyes and ears throughout the city that she could possibly need to keep her empire intact.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley had married his way into power. He was a man of many names, Triple H being the obvious one but he was also known as "The Game" and "The Cerebral Assassin." These monikers came from the fact that he knew how to get into somebody's head and he knew how to use that skill to play people like a game a chess. Marrying Stephanie was part of his game, which led to his position as police commissioner and he just so happened to fall in love with Stephanie on his road to power.

They were The Authority, and they ruled Belholt with an iron fist. All sex, gun, and drug trafficking was regulated by them, and nobody had managed to take over those markets. Their thugs walked the streets like they owned them, causing a great deal of discomfort to those who lived in the poorer districts of the city. Nobody who lived there left their home after the streetlights came on because everybody who lived there knew that they were safest in their homes after dark.

There were few crime lords who had moved to Belholt in an attempt to grow their empires, but The Authority's hold over their people made them almost impossible to buy. Those who were bought were killed shortly after, easily replaced by The Authority because there were plenty of "little guys" who wanted to make it in the big city.

There was one woman who was crazy enough to try to stop The Authority. She had grown up in Belholt, living a middle class life until she had been reeled in by Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley's talent agency. But not for her looks or modeling ability. This woman was book smart and street smart, and Stephanie hired her as a personal assistant. As much as she hated the McMahon family, she knew that her best way to bring them down was to earn their trust so she could use their secrets to destroy them from the inside out.

She knew that even considering plotting to bring them down was a death sentence, but she didn't care. She wasn't the only one who wanted them gone and she was going to quietly build a resistance because she knew exactly what streets were patrolled by The Authority's thugs and who wasn't on their watchlist and she met those men at a seedy looking tavern in the poorer part of town but nobody dared come in after dark except for her resistance.

There was a bare-knuckle fighter, an eccentric blonde with a tendency to lose his cool, a cool Samoan powerhouse, and his cousins who were twins. Those five men were like family to her, and she loved them dearly, but they weren't enough to help bring down the empire. Their families and the "regular" people who were against The Authority weren't enough. They needed one man, the one man who knew The Authority better than anyone.

The man who left Belholt almost a decade ago to better himself away from the influence of his family. The man who used to go out of his way to help those who had been put in danger by The Authority's growing power over the city. The man who was related to The Authority. The eldest child of Vince McMahon and Stephanie's older brother. The man who returned to Belholt today.

Shane McMahon.

She didn't know why he had decided to return. She had just gotten the email saying that he was returning and she'd be his new personal assistant rather than Stephanie's. As much as she loved snooping on the "Billion Dollar Princess", she was happy to work under Shane because it meant that she could figure out if he'd be willing to join the cause and make her life simpler.

From where she stood in his new office she could see the car pull up, Shane exiting and he looked up. Maybe he was looking at her or maybe he was admiring the large building she was standing in. But she had to admit that he was much more attractive in person and aged extremely well. She never would have thought that she'd appreciate a man keeping his hair natural despite greying, but salt and pepper looked nice from where she stood on the sixteenth floor.

* * *

Shane McMahon was not at all happy to be near his family again. The only reason he returned to Belholt was because a friend of his had told him just how bad things had gotten in the city. When a mother watches helplessly as her child is beaten in the middle of their living room because he didn't want to push drugs for The Authority, somebody had to step in and he knew it had to be him. Nobody else knew The Authority like he did and nobody else had the power and influence that he had gained in addition to the power and influence he had by birthright.

Stepping off the elevator and onto the sixteenth floor, he was greeted by the woman he assumed was his new personal assistant. The crisp white button down stood out against her tawny-beige complexion. Amber eyes held a mysterious air about them, especially when coupled with her smile. It didn't seem genuine, and made him feel as though she had already labeled him based on his relation to The Authority. He was going to have to break her of that opinion, because he was single and she was gorgeous but he didn't want her agreeing to date him because she feared his family.

"Mr. McMahon, it-"

"Just Shane, please." He cut her off, taking her extended hand in his and bringing it to his lips. "Mr. McMahon is my father and - between you and me - a giant asshole, so I'd rather not be compared."

"Right, Shane. You're extremely charming but I feel as though you should keep in mind that you're not here to charm me." She spoke curtly, turning on her four-inch heel to lead him down the hall. "Your job performance is my job security, brother to Ms. McMahon or not."

"I'm just here to help out. I have no clue what my roles are at the current moment."

"There's some paperwork on your desk that needs your attention, I suggest you start there." She stated, opening the door that had his name on it and leading him into the spacious office. "In addition to the paperwork, in your email is a google form that I would appreciate you filling out just so I know how to make your day flow smoothly from here on out for the duration of your time here."

"You know; you don't have to be so uptight." He teased, easing himself into the plush office chair as she looked to be considering his words. "I'm not my sister, nor am I going to tell her if you slouched a little bit. Just relax, and tell me your name please."

"Good posture is key to good health, for one." She argued, but her tone wasn't nearly as curt as it once was. "And my name is Veronica Meyers."

"Miss Meyers, I think-"

"Veronica, please." She corrected, feeling it was only fair that they be on a first name basis.

"Veronica," He murmured, almost testing her name as it left his lips. "I think I'm going to leave this paperwork for later, but I'll fill out your form. Once that's done can you show me around the building?"

"Of course."


	2. After Hours

"I think you're a fucking idiot."

"Thank you, Bubba, for your greatly desired input." Shane sighed, looking to his two friends as he strapped himself into his gear. "I know this is crazy, but what other choice do I have?"

"He's got a point."

"Oh fuck off, Devon." Bubba groaned, hating when the two sided against him. It never ended well for him.

"Outright telling his family that he's taking back the city would get him a bullet between the eyes in the middle of the boardroom. No questions asked, and certainly no remorse." Devon explained; leaning forward in his seat to look Bubba, his brother, in the eye. "Taking back the city is nuts, to do it this way he'd have to be an idiot but he's the right idiot for the job."

"This is Batman-level insane, though."

"I _am_ a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"That's Ironman." Bubba corrected Shane, but the McMahon only shrugged as he tucked a gun into his front waistband. "What's the deal with this hot personal assistant?"

"Veronica? I dunno because I can't find anything on her." Shane mumbled, pulling a black hoodie on to cover up the fact that he was loaded down with knives and protective padding. "I've searched every database that I have access to, not a thing popped up."

"Steph either gave her a squeaky clean slate or a new name to make life simple."

"Or she's hiding her real name to hide from Steph while she's not working." Devon added his own idea to Bubba's, shrugging when Shane made a face. "Everybody knows that your sister is dangerous. I wouldn't fault Veronica for using a false name to protect herself from your family should she decide to skip town one day."

"I don't fault her for it at all." Shane commented, toeing out of his Jordans and into tennis shoes that would help him keep a low profile. "I just want to know her better."

"You came back to Belholt to save the town from your family, not fall in love with the personal assistant who works for your family." Bubba reminded, patting Shane's stomach and wincing at the hardness of his body armor. "You're going to need something better eventually. Thinner to help you move faster. Our shit's good, but our shit is bulky."

"I'll get the info to Spike." Devon commented, writing down what Bubba had said on the notepad he kept on his person. "He's probably going to need a suit for the armor. Because walking around looking bulky isn't suspicious at all."

"I thought we weren't dipping into Batman-level bullshit?" Shane asked, looking between the two brothers with a raised eyebrow.

"Who said you were Batman?" Devon asked, looking to Bubba for clarification.

"He's more of a Deadpool."

"Oh TESTIFY!" Devon shouted before erupting into laughter with Shane and Bubba. The three men were laughing now, but they knew that Shane was going to be stepping into dangerous territory and that was no laughing matter. But keeping the air in the room light was best for the three because it helped them

"I could rock some katanas."

"You'd slice your hand off trying to do some gymnastics shit. Unlike Deadpool, your shit won't grow back." Bubba denied, shaking his head when Shane poured. "Sun's about to set, are you ready to go?"

"I was born ready." Shane confirmed, taking the earpiece from Bubba.

"Spike got us into the city's security network. We have access to any cameras in town, except the ones around the police station."

"Of course we don't have access to the most important cameras in the city." Shane sighed, letting Devon fix the way the earpiece sat in his ear. "It's fine. I'll just stay away from them for now."

"Stick to the slums of the city. Less cops more thugs." Devon suggested, getting only a nod out of Shane before he pulled the gun away from Shane's waistband. "Why do you need this?"

"Fight fire with fire, should fire occur."

"And, if you use this weapon 'should fire occur', you're giving the cops a way to trace your ass."

"Bubba's right." Devon shrugged, stepping back from Shane and setting the gun down beside the computers. "You won't even need it with all that martial arts training you've got."

"All the padding will slow me down."

"Just for tonight." Bubba assured, checking the clock with a small smirk. "And it's show time."

* * *

Veronica was heading out to meet with her group of friends that she called "The Resistance". The street lights had come on so she was walking as fast as she could without looking too suspicious. But she was being followed and that wasn't a good thing. She couldn't lead whoever was following her to the bar where she met with the guys, instead walking right passed the bar and taking a couple extra turns until she had ended up in an alley.

She let out an audible curse when she saw that the alley was actually a dead end, meaning that she had gone a block too far and really needed to restudy the layout of the slums if she was making mistakes like this.

"C'mon darlin', I just want to talk to you." Her pursuer stated, getting an eye roll out of Veronica as she slowly turned around. "I don't know which his bed, your ass in those jeans or that look on your face."

"Can I help you?"

"You can. I doubt you'll want to, but we can work around that because you've got nowhere to run to."

 _But I do have three black belts and you've officially pissed me off._ She mused, smirk on her face as the stranger closed in. She hadn't punched anybody in the face in a good while so she was actually pretty excited to get into another fight, but the smirk was quickly wiped off her face when she saw the gun get pulled out.

"Just a security measure. Can't have you runnin' off on me, now can we?"

"I suppose not." She whispered, her back hitting the bricks as her mind worked actively to get herself out of this predicament. A large hand roughly gripped her chin, the muzzle of the gun pressed to her side as she squared her shoulders. She heard Roman calling for her and acted quickly, moving her side so she was out of the line of fire before slamming her head into the man's nose and sweeping his feet out from under him. For good measure, she dropped her knee into his chest and landed a swift punch to his face before heading out of the alleyway and bumping into a large padded chest. On instinct alone, she threw a punch at him so she could head to the bar without any pursuers.

"Ronnie!?"

"Roman!" She called just before running into the large Samoan, smiling when he promptly turned her around to get her to the bar.

"What kept you?"

"Some asshole who got his ass kicked." She responded, smiling when the only response she got from the Samoan was a gentle pat on the head. The motion was just enough praise for her, pushing open the doors to _Ambrose Alley_ and noting the way that the three men relaxed when they saw her come in with Roman.

"You're late." The blonde behind the bar spoke calmly, looking down at the glass he was drying out. She knew that he had been worried, the blonde being one of the closest things she had to an older brother, but she also knew that he had nothing to worry about. She could take care of herself.

"I was being tailed, but I took care of it." She spoke simply; taking her usual seat at the bar with Roman sitting on her right and the twins coming up on her left. "Shane is back in town."

"Is he back to defend us little people, or to further the power his stupid family has over this stupid town?"

"If you thought this town was stupid you would've left a long time ago, Dean." She quipped, looking up into those dangerous blue eyes. "But, to answer your question, I have no clue what Shane is back for."

"Let's hope it's for nothing bad." Jimmy suggested, his twin nodding in agreement while Veronica kept her eyes locked on Dean's and Roman watched the two curiously.

"You still working under Stephanie?"

"I work under Shane now."

"Go through his shit. I don't care how long it takes, nor do I care what it takes." The blonde spoke solely to Veronica, the three Samoans exchanging glances over her head in concern. "I need dirt on Shane McMahon. Something we can use against him to rally him to our side should he not be already."

"Do you know what you're asking of me?" She asked, sitting up straighter. "Shane is the _smart_ sibling. Slipping files under his nose, let alone his personal information, isn't going to be as easy as it has been to get shit from Stephanie."

"If anybody can do it, it's you." Dean assured, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "You've made it this far, you can go farther. We're all right behind you Veronica."

"Every step of the way, babygirl." Roman spoke up, gently patting her back in an effort to comfort her.

The sound of the door opening had all five heads turning in concern, but they relaxed when a lone figure stood in the doorway. Veronica thought that she recognized the body shape, but the figure looked way too bulky to be her boss.

"Sorry man, we're closed. City ordinance and all that good shit."

"Oh! I had no idea, I apologize." That voice was too familiar, there was no way anybody else sounded like that. But what was Shane doing in the slums, let alone walking into a dive bar like _Ambrose Alley_? This had her thinking, considering whether or not Shane was patrolling the slums for his sister since he had literally just returned. Only those who had grown up in Belholt would recognize Shane McMahon by his face, but he was practically unrecognizable with the padding on his body. Sending Shane out could quite possibly be the smartest thing The Authority had ever done.

"What's got you thinking?" Dean asked once the door shut, Jey going to lock it in place so nobody else could enter on accident.

"It's nothing, but if it becomes something I'll let you know." She assured, smiling in an effort to relax the men around her. "Where's Wade?"

"Doin' the rounds." Jimmy responded, looking to the back door as it was opened and the man in question entered the bar. "Nevermind."

"Some bloke got the hell beaten out of him a couple blocks away." The Englishman announced to the room, getting a smirk out of Veronica as she nodded. "Your handiwork I presume, Veronica?"

"Guilty."


	3. Concealer

Shane woke up the next morning with a black eye and sore body. He knew why he was sore, getting into fist fights across town to stop thugs from throwing their weight around, but the black eye he wasn't sure about. That woman just threw a punch because she had bumped into him, but after seeing what she had escaped from he could understand why she was so on edge.

He knew he couldn't go into work like this, so he did the only thing he could do. He put on some concealing clothes before heading to the nearest drug store and buying what looked like it should match and rushing back home to apply the concealer and get into his professional attire so he could head into work. He was late, and he knew Veronica would have his head for this since it was only his second day and he was already an hour late.

He was surprised to see that she wasn't in his office, but a cup of coffee sat on his desk alongside the paperwork he didn't finish the day before. She obviously was here on time and meant what she said about making his days easy. A sip of his coffee confirmed that she had made the way he specified, although it was cold but he knew that the temperature was his fault and definitely not.

"Day two and an hour late, can't say I'm shocked." She mumbled as she walked into the office; today her crisp blouse was a lovely shade of maroon, and he shrugged from where he sat at his desk. "I hope you have a decent reason, because…"

"Because…?" He repeated, not expecting her to trail off like that. She was looking at his face, but he didn't understand why she was staring.

"Let's go." She prompted, setting the stack of folders in her arms down on his desk before gently grasping his wrist to pull him out of his chair.

"Go where?"

"Somebody has to teach you how to wear concealer and make it not obvious that you're wearing it." She explained, pushing the button for the elevator as she looked up at him again. "Honestly, Shane, you picked something at least two shades too dark."

"I was in a hurry."

"Anybody who gets a good look at you could tell." She quipped as they stepped onto the elevator, the phone in her hand vibrating with a new notification. One glance at it had her sighing, but typing a quick response that he didn't dare eavesdrop on. Her business was her business, and he still wasn't sure whether or not her allegiance was with The Authority. "If you weren't worth millions, somebody would talk shit."

"I welcome them to do so." He responded simply, smiling when she glanced up at him as the elevator doors opened once again in the parking garage. "My car or yours?"

"You pick. We're only going to the Target down the street though, so we could walk."

"We'll take my car. Wouldn't want you doing too much out of your way in those heels on my account."

 _At least he's considerate._ She mused, following him to his car. What greeted her wasn't exactly surprising; seeing as he was a McMahon and could afford to own a sports car like a Jaguar. It was sleek and beautiful, probably worth more than she made in a year, but she had to contain her awe at the sexy sports car because it was her boss' car and she had to keep professional in these moments.

"Jaguar, huh?"

"Is there a problem?" He asked, opening the passenger's side door for her. She only shrugged, gently patting his arm in thanks as she took her seat. She learned that not everything in the car was black, because the leather seats had a nice red trim that added character and a lot of sex appeal to this car and the man who owned it.

"Pegged you as more of a Ferrari type of man."

"I save the Ferrari for dates, the Jag is for business." He responded, gently shutting the door before he made a comment that could be taken as sexual harassment and made her not want to help him when he desperately needed. Besides, there was a time and a place for him to charm her and now was not the time nor was it the place for such activity.

The drive to Target was short and quiet. Shane didn't want to ask questions and try to get to know her in such a confined space because he didn't want it to seem as if he was waiting for a moment where the conversation could turn less than professional and have her be unable to escape. Veronica, on the other hand, was literally biting her cheek because she desperately wanted to ask why the hell he had a black eye to cover up but she was really trying to mind her own business for once. She needed Shane to trust her so she could do what Dean had asked of her without looking too suspicious, and prying into his business wasn't exactly the best way to start that out.

"I never bothered to ask yesterday but now it's bothering me that I don't have an answer;" She started as they walked through the store to get to the cosmetics department. He had her full attention and it slightly bothered her, but she appreciated it to an extent. "Why did you return to Belholt? You left and made your name out there, why come back here?"

"My sister needed help." His response was simple, but Veronica didn't like how vague it was. Of course, she wasn't expecting to get a glimpse into his mind, but to simply say that Stephanie needed help? That wasn't enough for her to gauge what side Shane was truly on. "I'm here to provide her with the help she needs, whether she likes it or not."

He had chosen his words carefully, not wanting to give it all away but needed to see how she would react so he could gauge whether or not she was working for his sister's criminal agency. Her face remained neutral as ever, a slow nod being her only response as they came to a stop in front of the concealers.

He stood in place, letting her do what she needed to do to pick the right shade for him. He didn't expect her to test them against his skin tone, but stood there without complaint because she was helping him. He just didn't expect to be standing there for five minutes while she compared two shades.

"Just concealer or should I teach you how to contour while we're here?" Veronica joked, her tone light and smile contagious as it clicked in Shane's head just what she was asking. He was stunned that she actually knew how to make a joke with her uptight demeanor and serious consideration for what was and wasn't professional.

"Hard pass." He sighed, watching as she typed something into her phone before feeling his phone vibrate. "Brand and shade?"

"For future reference. I don't plan on taking you to target every few weeks to give you the tutorial on picking your shade." She teased, picking up a brush set before leading him out of the aisle and to another. "Makeup remover wipes will be your best friend if you ever get another black eye."

"I don't anticipate it happening again, or at least too often. In this town you just don't know."

"How'd it happen?" She asked as they walked towards the checkout, looking up at him as she waited for his response. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want, of course. I was just-"

"I was looking for a bar to go to downtown, but some woman bumped into me and must have been frazzled because she threw a mean right hook." He responded, slightly embarrassed that a woman had given him such a shiner. Due to his gaze being elsewhere, he missed the look of complete shock that flashed across her face in realization that she punched her boss in the face while in fight-or-flight mode. "Did you know that bars close after a certain time?"

"City ordinance." She sighed, trying to collect her thoughts and emotions before Shane caught onto her lack of composure. "All bars close at eight thirty, unfortunately."

"That's fucking stupid."

"You're related to the people who make the rules. Suggest that they change them." She spoke simply, setting his new makeup tools on the conveyor belt as she watched him shrug. "You have a lot more pull than us 'normal folk' have."

"But still not much. Nobody in my family is exactly pleased with my return to Belholt."

"Then how'd you return and get a job in the office on the top floor?"

"I own half the company and it drives Steph nuts." He responded, smiling when Veronica could only nod before he greeted their cashier.

"Honey, this isn't your shade." The cashier told Veronica, something that stunned Shane but she was expecting. Women looked out for each other like that.

"I know, it's his."

* * *

Shane hadn't heard a word Bubba was saying. He knew it was important, but his mind was occupied by his beautiful and extremely helpful assistant. She had helped him without question and took his answers for what they were when she asked him about his black eye. Never prying, almost keeping her distance despite being so close to him throughout the day. Their professional relationship would flow smoothly, but he wanted more than that from her. Romantic would be nice, but he _really_ wanted her assistance in bringing down his family. She knew things that nobody else would and would be a valued member of the resistance he was trying to start.

That being said, he needed to move their relationship out of those professional boundaries so he could get to know Veronica outside of her crisp blouses and pencil skirts- both literally and figuratively.

 _"Earth to Shane!"_ Bubba shouted into the earpiece, startling the McMahon from where he stood on a street corner in the slums. _"How much of my explanation did you miss?"_

"I got sidetracked at the beginning, being honest." He admitted with a sheepish grin to the camera that he knew the Dudleys were watching him on. "I apologize for it, but please repeat yourself for me."

 _"Alright. Bars close in an hour; start with the joint you walked into last night and get a feel for who goes there, why they go there, and any feelings for The Authority that may be voiced."_

 _"Also be on the lookout for any of The Authority's goons running about_." Devon added, Shane nodding his understanding before heading back towards _Ambrose Alley_.

"How would I be able to tell?"

 _"Trust me, you'd know."_ Bubba scoffed, and Shane noticed two men come out of an alley with large patches on their arms. _"Kinda like Nazis. You know their affiliation just by looking at their arms."_

"I see it." Shane muttered, making sure not to make eye contact with the two thugs as he walked by.

 _"In addition to goons, we've heard about a small group of people in the slums who want to take your family out of power. We don't have names, of course, but they're known to frequent The Alley, which has some really bomb ass fries when Ambrose actually feels like cooking."_

"You seem like a regular Bubba, maybe you should go in my place?" Shane teased, hearing Devon laugh as he opened the door to the bar.

 _Ambrose Alley_ was obviously a very popular place to be despite its location in the heart of the slums of Belholt. All of the tables were filled, loud music filled the bar while groups played pool at the tables. There were very few spaces open at the bar, and Shane quickly occupied a stool where he got a good view of the bartender as she poured beer from the tap.

"One behind you, Ronnie." A scruffy looking blonde pointed out as he exited what Shane figured was the kitchen.

"Y'know, you're more than capable of serving him, Ambrose." She commented, and Shane's eyes widened at the realization that his personal assistant was the bartender he was shamelessly checking out just a moment ago. His assumption that she would look good in jeans was confirmed and he was quite pleased about that; the fact that she was wearing a cropped top was just an added bonus.

"I've gotta deliver some fries, darlin' or else I would."

"Stop lying to yourself Dean." She teased, turning around and freezing momentarily when she locked her gaze on Shane's curious dark eyes. "Give me a moment, yeah?"

"Take your time." He assured with a smile, pulling out his phone to text Bubba and Devon to let them know that his assistant was a bartender in her free time. He watched as she served the other patrons at the bar before coming to him, but he did notice her relax a bit as she came closer to him.

"Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same question." He shot back, smirking when she rolled her eyes. "Do we not pay you enough? Because I can change that."

"No, the pay is fine. Dean and I are good friends and his usual bartender called out so he asked if I could fill in. Simple as that." Veronica explained, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "I'm here a lot anyways, so why not help out if I've got the time?"

"Makes sense."

"Now you can tell me why you're here after I refill his drink." She demanded, showing more of the Veronica he had seen the last two days rather than the almost carefree woman she was before she had seen him. Did this mean that she thought he was aligned with his family? If that was the case; then this meant that she was quite possibly part of the forming resistance or knew somebody who was. She was the key, but he had to make sure that his sister didn't find out because that would make Veronica a target.

Bubba had texted him instructions, telling him to keep his cool and be partially honest. Scoping out the bar scene in town would be the best reason that wouldn't sound like total bullshit, since he was new to this version of the town he was raised in. He just had to keep his cool because he was almost certain that she knew how to read people and he didn't want her having any reason not to trust him so soon in their working relationship.

"Alright, Shane-O. What brings you to the slums?" Veronica asked, wasting no time on any attempt at small talk he'd considered making but still had a small smile on her face. He assumed it was a formality, since she was technically working, but it was still nice to see. "Shit like this is what get your ass kicked like it was last night."

"I was caught off guard and it won't be happening again." He defended himself, smiling as her smile shifted into a smirk. "But I'm trying to see what the bar scene is like and heard that this place had good fries. Should've told me that there was a beautiful bartender that filled in when the place was short staffed."

"Again, you're extremely charming Shane but-"

"We aren't at work." He interrupted, smirking as she rolled her eyes at him.

"You're here to sample the bar scene, not charm me."

"Is there ever an appropriate time to charm you?" He asked, hoping that he wasn't coming off as creepy or that others around them didn't think that he was harassing her because neither was his intent.

"When I'm not on the clock for any type of work."

"Sucks for you, mate, because this one never stops working." A tall Brit spoke up, patting Shane on the back as he joined Veronica behind the bar. "Who's this, Ronnie?"

"Someone I work with, nothing you need to worry about Wade." She covered, and Shane felt as though she was possibly on his team. She didn't out him as being Shane McMahon, basically just saying that he was a co-worker, meaning that she must have figured that he wasn't trying to be recognized on his adventure. The baseball hat and baggy clothes were probably a good indicator of that, but that didn't necessarily mean that she had to go with that. She could have straight up told this Wade guy that he was her boss and watch as everyone within earshot turned to stare at him – but she didn't.

He'd know in the morning where her loyalties lie if he got some sort of comment from his sister about hanging around the slums. Stephanie never missed out on commenting whenever he did anything "unfit for a McMahon", and if Veronica was working with Stephanie then she'd report straight to his sister.

Only time would tell.


	4. Tense

It had been three months since Shane had come back to Belholt. In that time, he had Veronica had grown as close as he figured they could be (or at least how close Veronica would let him get to her), and he'd figured out the hierarchy within The Authority's criminal syndicate. It had been dangerous work, seeing as Veronica was the equivalent to a minefield in terms of "professional behavior" and getting info on the crime bosses in the city involved a lot of sneaking about. But he was feeling pretty successful and proud of himself for it all.

"Morning, Shane."

"Good morning, dearest sister." He greeted, looking up at Stephanie with a smile. She looked to be in a good mood, which was good for him because he wasn't above ruining her day in whatever way he could. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Your personal assistant."

"Do you need Veronica for something?" He asked, looking to the younger woman seated to his left who's typing had stopped once she had been mentioned.

"Just reminding you that her performance evaluation is next week." Veronica did not like the smile on her face. It was much too pleasant and that had her concerned that she had been figured out with her latest fax of Stephanie's spending report being sent not only to the bank but also to Wade's office across town. Maybe they had hacked into her computer somehow? She had too much at stake right now, lives were literally dependent on her doing her work here.

"And she's been doing a remarkable job, so there's nothing to worry about." Shane commented, gently patting her tense shoulder but not providing any comfort to the younger woman. Her mind was going a mile a minute and instead went back to typing up Shane's email to a potential client in an effort to ease her nerves a bit. "Anything else, Stephanie?"

"No, not yet at least. If something does come up, I'll let you know." She assured before making her exit, Veronica relaxing almost instantly and it was definitely something Shane picked up on. Was she really that scared of Stephanie that she got so tense in her presence? The overly professional demeanor definitely made more sense now.

She watched as he stood to shut the door to his office, the glass door and windows providing them only with soundproofing but it was enough for Shane. The curtains being closed would look suspicious, but just having the door shut makes it look like they're just talking about confidential business that Stephanie could- and would- get her hands on should she decide that she wanted it.

"What the hell was that?"

"What was what?" She responded, trying to keep her cool and not give him further reason to worry about her.

"Steph walks in and you tense up. Your whole demeanor changed and I don't like that." He explained, keeping his voice low as to not give her a reason to fear him. "Are you that scared of my sister?"

"I'm not scared of anything or anyone, Shane." She defended, taking a drink out of her coffee before she said something she would forget. "I'd prefer to not be made to disappear because I wasn't sitting up straight enough."

"Good lord." Shane sighed, falling back into his chair and scrubbing a hand down his face. "I had no idea that it had gotten this bad."

"Unfortunately, that's life." She murmured, tucking her hair behind her ear before scooting her laptop towards him. "Read that over before I send it."

"Looks good. If you know what to say, you don't even need to run it passed me. Just bcc myself in the email and I can look over it just so I knows that is happening with who."

"You sure?"

"It's been three months, you know how I work and I know how you work. We're good."

"Sounds good." She commented, clicking send before going to the next file in the stack.

"Let's grab lunch?"

"I'm not that hungry, Shane."

"Well then, let me buy you dinner tonight."

"Shane, I-"

"As my apology for my sister." He cut her off, smiling at her in an attempt to get her to crack. "We can even go to The Alley where you'll be surrounded by people you're comfortable with."

"You just don't take no for an answer, do you?"

"I do in most cases."

"You don't have to buy me dinner just because your sister runs the city and you feel bad."

"That's not the case." Shane tried to assure, but she had put her glasses back on and was going through a file so she could type up the next email. "Is the conversation done?"

"You've made your point, so there's no more discussion to be had." She mumbled, continuing to type away. "I will meet you at The Alley at 6:30."

"I was hoping to pick you up but that's not professional enough for you is it?"

"If you want to pick me up then you can. You have my address, Shane."

"Then I'll pick you up at 6:20?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

After an hour or so of asking herself what the hell you wear on a "professional business date" with her boss, Veronica decided on just wearing what she would usually wear when going to the bar in her free time rather than going to help Dean out and wore jeans and a tshirt with some heeled boots and her leather jacket. She was ready just as he knocked on her door and she reminded herself that she was just getting dinner with her boss to calm herself down.

"Punctual for once." She commented as she opened the door, smirking when he shrugged.

"Didn't want to be a bad date." He commented, and she decided not to correct him and let it slide as she locked her door behind her. "I know I said t

he Ferrari was for dates but I didn't want to draw too much attention to us."

"So you drove the Jaguar?"

"Rode my motorcycle." He corrected, looking over just in time to see the surprise flash across her face.

"What can't you do?"

"Impress you, it seems."

"You're on your way, though." She assured, patting his arm as they got to the parking lot. "Good lord are you on your way."

"Didn't peg you as a bike girl or cars in general."

"I hang out with men most of the time. You have to educated yourself to keep up and I got interested." She explained, circling the sleek Ducati. "What is with you and black vehicles?"

"They look sleeker in my opinion." He shrugged, handing his helmet over to her. She looked for a second helmet, confusion crossing her features but she didn't want to voice her concerns. "I've never had a second rider on here and didn't think about that until I got here. I'll have to buy another one because you seem to love this bike."

"Just starstruck. It's a Monster, y'know?" She breathed, placing the helmet on her head and smiling at how large it was on her head as Shane got on the bike. She got comfortable behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist loosely until he pulled them tighter. "You don't go the speed limit, do you?"

"Who rides a Ducati and actually goes the speed limit?"

 _Dean if I die tonight this is your fault._ She cursed her friend in her head as Shane started the bike. Her grip got tighter, eyes shutting in anticipation for the thrill ride she was about to experience while she prayed. She actually prayed throughout the whole ride, not at all interested in seeing what the city looked like as they whizzed through, and she was so caught up in praying for their safety that she didn't notice the bike had stopped until she felt Shane pat her hands.

"Were you scared?"

"I'm not scared of anything, Shane. I've told you that before." She commented as she let him go, taking the helmet off as she got off of the bike. He took the helmet and hung it on the handlebar, taking her hand in his as they rounded the corner to enter through the front door. "Going so fast makes me dizzy and I didn't want to throw up on you."

"How considerate." He teased, opening the door for her and following her to the only open booth. She made eye contact with whoever was behind the bar as they moved and held up two fingers, Shane assumed that she was signaling some kind of order over the loud noise of the bar. "So you're friends with the owner?"

"Yeah. Ambrose and I go way back, inseparable since childhood to be honest." She explained with a small smile, shedding her jacket due to how warm it was in the bar. "He opened The Alley and I'm happy to help out whenever he needs a hand even if it's more frequent than I'd prefer."

"It's a popular place."

"My unbiased opinion says that it's the best place in town for a cold drink and a burger, which attracts all sorts of folk."

"Gang activity?"

"From time to time." She responded, getting the feeling that he was getting deeper questions answered and making a note to be careful of how much she revealed to him. "Ambrose doesn't play with that though, so any gang affiliations have to be removed or he won't serve you."

"Really?"

"People come to bars to escape their daily lives. Around here, daily lives are consumed by gang activity and he wants people to feel safe here." She answered, smiling up at the large Samoan who brought their drinks over. "Hey Ro."

"Hey Ron, who's this?"

"My-"

"Shane McMahon." He introduced himself, standing and offering his hand to the Samoan in a friendly manner. He wanted Veronica's friends to like him if he managed to get her to like him enough to date him.

"Roman Reigns. Take care of her, man. Just because your family runs the town doesn't mean we won't come after you should something happen to her." Roman warned, his grip on Shane's hand firm enough to get his point across without actually hurting the older man. Shane did his best to match that firmness, but the Samoan was pretty strong so he didn't think his point got across as effectively as he would have liked.

"It's not-"

"She's in good hands, and I have no doubt that she won't let anything get her out of her bubble at this stage."

"Good. Respect that bubble and you'll be fine." Roman commented before parting Veronica's head and heading towards the kitchen, high-fiving Naomi who was behind the bar on his way.

"Another close friend?"

"Yeah." Veronica sighed as Shane sat back down, smiling sheepishly at him. "Close knit group, so I apologize in advance if another one of the goons comes over to assert their position."

"No apologies needed. They're like family and just want you to be safe and happy. I can respect that."

Their dinner had inadvertently become more of a date than Veronica would have liked, but she was actually having a good time with Shane and decided to push any and all attempts at staying "professional" to the side for now. They weren't in the office nor was she on the clock, therefore it would be okay to relax around Shane. All she really had to do was make sure she didn't give him too much personal information. She had only known him for three months but she trusted him a hundred times more than she trusted his sister.

"I refuse to believe that actually happened." She laughed after Shane finished his story of the time he was thrown through glass. "Who the hell would throw you through glass?"

"Kurt Angle would."

"That's crazy."

"I prefer to live a life without fear, y'know?" He explained, taking a drink of his beer while she ate a fry. "Makes things a lot more fun."

"I can imagine. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." She murmured, smiling as she realized that Dean was famous for using that phrase and the blonde was heading towards the table.

"I think you'd be proud of me for not interrupting your little date sooner." He spoke with a smirk, blue eyes bright as he took in just how relaxed his dear friend was. "Dean Ambrose."

"Shane McMahon."

"I heard the big man was already over here so I'll spare you the lecture, just know that I hold this one very near and dear to my cold heart." The blonde stated, leaning on the table so he could be closer to Shane. "And right now I need you to get her the hell out of here."

"What's going on, Dean?" Veronica asked, grabbing her jacket just in case.

"Word on the street is that they're changing the bar check night and inspecting patrons while they're at it."

"Can they do that?" Shane asked, looking between the two grim faces in concern. "That _has_ to be illegal."

"Good old Trips doesn't give a damn, Shane." Veronica informed as the door was kicked open, scooting out of the booth and standing beside Dean. "What are you gonna do?"

"What only I can." Dean responded, looking to Naomi behind the bar before approaching the two cops that were flanked by Authority thugs. Veronica recognized the cops, having attended a few dinners at the McMahon-Helmsley residence, and knew that they were two of Hunter's closest friends. Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels. The two thugs were who she didn't recognize, and that had her worried because they had to have been fresh blood and fresh blood was most likely to at recklessly.

Amber eyes watched carefully as Dean greeted the officers, being as pleasant as he could while she put on her jacket. Shane followed her lead, but stayed seated because he knew that she was watching Dean for some sort of signal because she probably would have left already if she wasn't waiting for a signal. This wasn't his territory nor was this something he was used to, so he just held onto his keys while looking for their possible escape route. The only other door was the kitchen, and he assumed that there was a back door in the kitchen that they would be using to escape.

"Everyone can relax, we're just looking for somebody." Shawn announced to the bar, but that had Veronica tensing. Who would they be looking for and why? "Enzo Amore. Have any of you heard of him?"

"Annoying little shit, weird hair, talks too damn much?" Randy described as he walked around the bar, his eyes locking onto Veronica as he did so. "What do we have here? Veronica, you know everybody around here it seems, surely you know Enzo?"

"Unfortunately, Officer, I have no idea who you're talking about." She was lying, how do you forget a guy like Enzo? "I think I'd remember the name Enzo, and I'd certainly remember somebody with unusual hair. Haven't seen him around here before."

"And you're certain?" Shawn asked, stepping closer but Dean stuck his arm out to stop the cop from going further.

"She said she hasn't seen the guy here, so leave her the hell alone and get the hell out of my bar."

"Get your hands off me, kiddo."

"Look, guys, you're killin' the vibe we've got goin' here."

"I don't give a damn about your 'vibe' Ambrose." Randy spoke, cold blue eyes staring down the bar owner. "We need to find Amore and we'll question every damn person in this bar until we find the piece of shit!"

Veronica saw Dean's jaw tick, and she knew that he was ready to start throwing punches if the unwanted guests were in the bar much longer. Somebody had to do something to get them out, but she didn't know who or what could possibly get them out quickly. She felt a hand on her wrist and looked to Shane, who was looking at Naomi. She had to get Shane out of the bar before they started interrogating everyone in sight.

"Why do you want him?" She asked, bringing the attention back to her to give Dean space to think.

"Drugs." Shawn responded, and she knew that was their cover because Enzo didn't push drugs. Guns and other weaponry, but not drugs. Too messy for his taste.

"You should be looking downtown, where you're more likely to see the drug dealers." Naomi cut in, and Veronica knew that she had already called Jimmy, Jey, and Wade for backup should it be needed and Roman was probably on his way to get Enzo and Cass out of town for a while. They had to keep their resources in tact if they were going to push The Authority out of town. "Drug activity rarely makes its way to the slums."

"Downtown?"

"East River Park is probably your best bet." Naomi further informed, her tone sincere despite the fact that she was blatantly lying. The two thugs were quick to leave, Randy and Shawn following suit. But Randy stopped, looking around the bar one last time before finally leaving.

The bar was quiet for a moment, Dean kicking the jukebox for a "free song" before storming into the kitchen and Veronica looked to Shane.

"Yeah, it's that bad around here." She murmured, Shane letting go of her wrist as he sat down in the booth to collect his thoughts. "Welcome back."


	5. Plans

"You should've seen it. Two cops and two thugs walk in together and the whole place stopped! Somebody even shut off the jukebox without real reason." Shane ranted, pacing his basement as Bubba and Devon looked on. "And we were having such a good time too. God damn it."

"Are you more concerned about The Authority or the fact that your date was ruined by them?" Bubba asked, stopping Shane in his tracks.

"A little bit of both, but more so The Authority."

"We told you it was bad, didn't the last three months tell you anything?"

"It did, but I had no idea about the bar inspections and searching of civilians without provocation or suspicion." Shane reasoned, turning on his heel to look the two Dudleys in the eye. "Nobody gave me real specifics here!"

"Are you backing out?"

"Never." He answered Devon's question, the look in his eyes nothing short of sheer determination. If anything he only had more reason to fuel his desire to save the city and do whatever it took to do so. "I've got to push Veronica harder, I guess."

"Why?"

"I have this gut feeling that she knows about The Resistance. At the very least I know she's against my sister with the way she was looking at those cops and thugs and that's enough for me."

"Whatever you do, don't push her away."

"You think I would?"

"Pushing her for info, regardless of your method, could push her away after the events of earlier tonight." Devon reasoned, shrugging as Shane let out a groan. "From what you've told us, she's smart and can probably read you like a book for the most part. Just sayin' that you need to be careful. Did you take her home?"

"She wanted to stay at the bar with Dean and I needed to get here as fast as I could."

"You left your only source of info at the bar where The Authority showed up? You idiot!"

"What?"

"What if they came back after closing, moron?" Bubba continued, getting another groan out of Shane as the McMahon flopped into a chair. "Your girl could be in danger, especially if those cops know her by name."

"Fuck me." Shane muttered, going to put on his "adventuring" clothes so he could check out the bar at the very least.

"Blow off some steam by beating up some thugs!" Bubba called after him, smirking when the door slammed behind Shane.

* * *

"I do not like this." Veronica whispered from where she was crouched beside Dean, the two friends dressed head to toe in all black and hiding behind a corner - waiting for the two thugs from earlier to leave their downtown hideout. They had headed straight for the park after Shane left the bar, spotting the thugs and following them to their hideout. Dean wanted to know why they wanted Enzo and, since Roman was getting the loudmouth weapons dealer and his muscle out of town, Veronica was the only open option to help him out.

"It's not about you right now, kiddo." The blonde whispered, adjusting the baseball cap on his head as the front door opened. It wasn't who they were interested in, instead being the two officers that had been in the bar earlier, and Dean moves to stop the door from closing completely while Veronica watched with wide eyes. Never had they ever gone into an Authority hideout before, and she wasn't in any position to be caught in one. "Trust me?"

"A bit too much, it seems." She murmured, rising up enough to peek through the window before giving a nod to Dean to confirm that the coast was clear. She had so much to lose, but she wasn't going to let Dean go in there alone. That wasn't how friendship worked, especially being friends with Dean. He wouldn't hesitate to go all in for her, and she wouldn't hesitate to do the same for him.

The layout of the place was simple; a couple couches and some chairs with a small kitchen area and what she assumed was the bathroom tucked away in the corner. There was a staircase to the left, Dean leading Veronica away from the staircase and towards the bathroom. The duo pulled out their pistols, Veronica aiming for the bathroom door while Dean watched the staircase. They weren't going to be caught off guard this time around.

"...not who we're looking for, but he gave us some good intel for Ms. McMahon." A heavily accented voice spoke as footsteps ascended the stairs, Veronica turning to focus her aim on the stairs even though she knew that she wouldn't be shooting. Her gun didn't have a silencer like Dean's did, which was why it was Dean who shot the second goon in the shoulder while she quickly moved forward to subdue the first with a right hook to his jaw.

"Hope you boys won't mind sharing that intel with us." She stated before knocked the first one out as Dean knocked the other unconscious. "How are we going to drag them to the car quickly?"

"No need." Jimmy spoke up, startling Veronica a bit before taking the thug out of her grip so he could tie his arms and blindfold him. "Bar?"

"Basement of the bar. Nobody goes in there to speak with our guests until we get back." Dean instructed, motioning for Veronica to check out the basement while Jey took the second thug from Dean to get into their car. The blonde was right behind her, gun ready, but they would be unnecessary as the only person in the basement was the beaten down man tied to the chair. "I hope to god it's some random ginger and not Sami."

"Calm your rampage until we've gotten him cleaned up." She instructed as she untied their friend, Dean quick to catch him in his arms so he wouldn't hit the ground.

"I told them lies, pointed them in their own direction." The Canadian mumbled before coughing up some blood.

"Don't talk, Sami." Veronica spoke softly, helping Dean support the Canadian's weight as Dean assured the redhead that he had done a good job as they carried him out and to the car that the twins had arrived in.

"And now we walk back to the park to pick up my car." Dean sighed as Jimmy and Jey drove off towards the bar, watching as Veronica took off her bloodied jacket and followed her lead. "The got Sami good, fuckin' pricks."

"We'll get them back for it." She assured, patting his back in an attempt to comfort him. "We always do."

"When will this be over, Ronnie?"

"When we get enough hard evidence to get them out."

"Or we kill them." Dean suggested, something he had suggested a few times in the past but Veronica had never taken seriously. This time, though, there was something different about his voice and posture that had her believing that he meant it this time around. "I think we can do it."

"How the hell would we get away with it?"

"Tragic accident?"

"This isn't the place to have this conversation." She scolded, pulling him down the street at a faster pace than before. "Come on, let's get to the bar so I can clean up Sami and you can beat some info out of those shitheads."

"Sounds good."

* * *

 _"Are you doing okay?"_

"Why do you ask?" She responded, uncertain as to why Shane was calling and why he was calling so late.

 _"Drove by your house and you didn't answer, just wanted to make sure those cops didn't go back to the bar."_ Shane responded, Veronica was sure that he was also out and about but wasn't in the mood to question him about it at this point in her night.

"I'm still at the bar." Veronica sighed from where she was seated on the sidewalk, unlit cigarette between her fingers just waiting for her to feel stressed enough to light it. "We've been trying to get a hold of Enzo for a while now."

 _"No success?"_

"Nope."

 _"Listen, if you don't want to come into the office tomorrow I totally understand and will still pay you for the day."_

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I need to be in the office. Separate myself from the situation for a few hours."

 _"Being in the same building as the woman who's responsible for all of this will separate yourself from the situation?"_

"Steph doesn't come to the office on Thursdays."

 _"Veronica-"_

"Shane, I know you're skeptical but I need you to trust that I can handle myself." She tried to assure, but even she wasn't believing it and the look on Roman's face when he approached the bar told her that she wasn't convincing anybody.

 _"Whatever you say, sweetheart. I'll see you in the morning?"_

"For sure." She murmured, checking her watch and inwardly groaning when she saw that she'd have to be in the office in four hours. "Try to enjoy your night, Shane."

 _"I will be sure to do so. Get some rest Veronica, or I'll send you home tomorrow."_

"Yeah, sure." She mumbled, small smile on her face as Roman helped her to her feet. "And Shane?"

 _"Yeah?"_

"We'll have to try dinner again some time." She suggested as she entered the bar, Shane's surprised chuckle flooding her hearing. "Maybe somewhere with less chance of being interrupted?"

 _"I can cook a mean chicken alfredo."_

"I'll find a spot in our calendars." She assured before hanging up, looking up at the Samoan who was looking down at her in confusion. "What?"

"Isn't that the same boss you're trying to not get involved with?"

"I deserve to have some fun and he rides a Ducati." She reasoned, shrugging when Roman gave a small smile of his own. "What?"

"I'm happy, kid. You've been takin' care of us so long you deserve to have someone take care of you, McMahon or not."

"Is that approval?"

"It is what you make of it."

"I'll take that as approval." She murmured, her attention directed from the Samoan to the Canadian who was now conscious and sitting up. "Take it easy, Sami."

"I can't, Ronnie. They're looking for Enzo, and they need him bad if they're willing to do all this to me." Sami spoke solemnly, dark eyes downcast at the thought of something bad happening to his friend at the hands of The Authority.

"We know they're looking for Zo, came into the bar tonight and caused quite the scene." Veronica informed, heading to the bar to pour a round for everyone she knew was at the bar. "Ro got Zo, Cass, and Carmella out of town; ain't that right, big man?"

"Safe and sound." The Samoan assured, patting Sami on the back as the two men joined her at the bar. "I don't even know where they're at. Met Rosey at the city limits and he got them away from here."

"Good." Sami sighed, knocking back the shot of Jack like it was nothing while Veronica and Roman looked on in slight concern. "They know that Enzo deals weapons and they know that Enzo has ties to The Resistance. They want him out of the picture, for good, and are willing to do whatever it takes to get him out of the picture."

"You said that you pointed them in their own direction, how so?" Dean asked, wiping the blood off his hands as he joined Veronica behind the bar and pouring himself a shot.

"Told them about Kevin and Del Rio's shootouts and used something Kevin said _years_ ago way out of context to get those cops out of my face."

"Good work, my friend." The blonde praised, gently squeezing Sami's shoulder before looking to Veronica. "I need you to figure out what side Shane is on by any means necessary. Also, see if you can get into Steph's email again."

"I still have access to her email. Even as Shane's PA, I do some things for Stephanie. Primarily keeping her calendar up to date, but to do that I have to have access to her email at all times and I do check it periodically on a daily basis. If anything suspicious was there, I would've seen it by now."

"She's got to have another email account then. How the _fuck_ is she so organized about all this shit without email?"

"Coming from the guy who doesn't have one, I'd say using her phone." Dean suggested, shrugging when everybody looked at him in slight disbelief. "Ron's got to work tomorrow and her ride here was Shane McMahon, who's driving her home?"

"I've got her." Roman volunteered, looking to Sami when the Canadian looked between him and Veronica.

"Can I crash at yours for a couple days, Ronnie? The cops took me from my place."

"You're always welcome, Sami."

"Tomorrow night, we need to get the whole group together for a brainstorming session."

"Brainstorming what?" Roman asked, tossing his keys to Veronica so he could help Sami out of the bar.

"Killing The Authority."


	6. Bad Vibes

Veronica woke to the smell of something cooking, which was convenient as her alarm went off roughly thirty seconds later. She remembered flopping onto the couch after getting Sami comfortable in her bed and passing out shortly after, and was grateful to still be on the couch because that meant that Sami didn't risk further injuring himself by moving her to her bed. She didn't even bother with greeting the man in her kitchen, instead going to her bathroom so she could take a much needed shower and scrub the blood off of her body (that she should have taken care of before going to sleep) and getting dressed into her work attire for the day.

The olive green cardigan was one she only wore on days where she didn't want to be at work, since it had been a gift from Dean and she didn't want to ruin it. These days there was rarely a day where she didn't want to be at work, but now with Dean wanting to kill The Authority she wasn't sure how she'd be able to deal with Shane. Their conversation the night before was fine, but how could she continue to look hominem the eye when her best friend that was trying to figure out how to kill his sister and get away with it. Wearing the cardigan was also helpful in hiding how red her arms were due to how hot the water was and how hard she was scrubbing her body.

"Always so professional." Sami commented, setting the full plate down in front of her at the island counter. "Bet Shane would prefer it if you showed up naked."

"Does the whole group know that we had dinner last night?" She asked, already knowing the answer because Ambrose couldn't keep his mouth shut. She knew that Dean saw her getting closer to Shane as a way to get dirt on him to pull him to The Resistance, but she was genuinely interested in Shane for more innocent reasons.

"You know Ambrose better than most, Ronnie." The Canadian shrugged, getting a sigh out of her as she played with her eggs. "You like him don't you?"

"I do, but I don't think he'll be that interested in me after everything's said and done because Dean literally just wants me to use him for info on Steph."

"We all call you kid, but you're an adult and not that much younger than us. You can make adult decisions and pursue Shane in a non-Resistance related manner."

"Yeah, but I feel like I have to contribute to the cause somehow."

"You walk into the lion's den every damn day, except for weekends and holidays, and have been blatantly sending confidential papers out to Wade under their noses to help us get ahead of their game. You contribute plenty."

"Always feels like there's more to ask of me."

"You do a lot for us, Ronnie. I would probably be dead right now if it wasn't for you, sweetheart, don't forget that." Sami reminded, pressing a kiss to the troubled woman's forehead in as affectionate a manner he could. "Eat your breakfast, wouldn't want to be late for work."

"Yes, of course." She murmured, feigning a smile for her friend just so they would drop the conversation. "Thank you for cooking."

"Thank you for hanging onto me until the heat dies down."

"Friends look out for each other, Sami. It's no big deal." She assured, patting Sami's bandaged arm gently. "I've spent the last two years so far up Stephanie's ass that nobody would consider me hiding you here."

"Small favors, right?"

"Small favors indeed."

* * *

When Veronica made it into the office she was surprised to see furniture being moved into Shane's office. Stephanie never would have approved of him putting furniture in his office, which was why him moving it in on a day where she wouldn't be in the office was extremely convenient. She figured that there was a purpose for the large leather couch - at least she hoped that there was a purpose for them that wasn't just to spite his younger sister. Hell, she could make a purpose for them if she got close enough to Shane and was in the office with him after hours

 _That is not professional thinking. Get it together, woman._ She coached herself, squaring her shoulders before slipping passed the movers into the office. "Morning, Shane."

"Good morning to you too." The McMahon responded from where he sat atop his desk, smile on his face despite the fact that he looked exhausted. "Get enough rest?"

"Enough to make it through the day." She assured, smiling at her boss as he nodded. Movement caught her peripheral vision, directing her attention to the coffee table being placed in the room and the couches being adjusted around the black table. Shane followed her line of sight, and knew by the look on her face that there was a question in her mind regarding the furniture pieces.

"Had to liven the place up somehow, y'know?" He commented, hopping off of the desk so he could properly thank the movers as they finished placing the couches. "I've been here three months and still haven't felt settled. Cable guy comes at noon, by the way."

His comment brought her attention to the flatscreen attached to the wall, the obnoxiously large television had to have been at least sixty inches and she had to wonder why he needed a television in the first place - let alone one that large. This was an office, not a lounge, even if she did more of his work than he did.

"Why?"

"To watch the game on nights where I work late."

"You don't work late."

"I might start, and wouldn't want to be unprepared." He reasoned, smile on his face as she shook her head in disbelief. "You're worrying and you're stressing. Go sit down in my comfy office chair and text Dean or play a game or something. Breathe for once, Veronica."

"I breathe just fine." She defended, feeling his hands on her shoulders as he guided her to his desk and forced her to sit down. "And I have work to do. Work that you should actually be doing."

"Everything waiting for you will still be there in twenty minutes." Shane assured, knowing that he was irritating her but wanting her to relax. "Find a night for us to have dinner, if you _must_ do something."

He watched as she did as he requested, making an event in his calendar for Saturday night and inviting herself to it. He made a note to text Bubba and Devon to let them know that he was busy Saturday night, because there was nothing that would be interrupting his date with her. He had been trying for months to get to this point, not a damn thing was taking it from him without a fight.

"You're thinking hard about something."

"How can you tell?"

"You're massaging my shoulders." She reasoned, keeping her gaze on the screen where a hundred a fourteen emails were waiting to be read. "You keep your hands busy when you're thinking."

 _Read me like an open book, no wonder she's such an asset to Stephanie._ Shane mused, watching as she worked between his email and his calendar when he noticed an email from Spike. "Keep that email unread, you shouldn't have to deal with the insanity that can be Spike Dudley."

"I'll take your word for it." She responded, not faltering from her typing of an email to reschedule one of his meetings. "You have a meeting with your sister and Mr. Heyman in ten minutes."

"What does Paul even _do_ around here, anyways?" Shane asked, not sure who he was least excited to see out of the combination of his sister and Paul Heyman. "Never see him in the office, yet he works for my sister and I?"

"Runs the strip clubs in town. Used to compete with your sister's until she bought him out and took over."

"What's his front?"

"Director of something for McMahon Entertainment." Veronica shrugged. "I don't particularly care for Mr. Heyman and have been blessed enough that my interaction with him has been kept to a minimum so I'm not too sure what his position with the company is."

"I'll see to it that your interactions with him are kept to a minimum."

"I appreciate it." She murmured, looking up just in time to see Heyman walk passed with his bodyguard Brock Lesnar following right behind him. Heyman didn't look into the office, but cold blue eyes met amber and Veronica felt the chills go down her spine in unease as he walked passed. "You should probably head in there. Paul doesn't appreciate tardiness and the last thing you want is to hear him running his mouth."

"To be fair, that's the last thing anybody wants to hear." Shane joked, gently patting her shoulders before making his leave. Veronica took the opportunity created by his absence and forwarded the email from Spike Dudley to herself and deleted the record from his sent mail, knowing just who Spike Dudley was and just what he and his brothers did for a living. Why Shane was connecting with the best protective armor and surveillance specialists around about "specifications" she wasn't sure, and she definitely needed to find out.

* * *

"Dudleys?"

"Dudleys."

"Shane working with the Dudleys for armor? Why?" Dean asked, watching as Veronica sat atop the bar counter. "Obviously you don't know why yet or else you'd tell me, but it doesn't make sense nor does it add up."

"I'm certain this all adds up, we just don't know enough about Shane for it to add up." Roman commented, noticing the way Veronica deflated slightly when Dean looked to her.

"I'm working on it guys." She assured, her conversation with Sami lingering in the back of her mind. She was allowed to pursue Shane for non-Resistance related purposes, but being with the guys made her feel like she didn't have a choice in the matter and that really sucked. "I need time, though."

"Ronnie, we're running out of time." Dean spoke, blue eyes meeting amber in a way that sent a chill down her spine just like with Lesnar earlier in the day. "With every day that goes by another innocent person is missing or turns up dead, another one of our guys taken in for questioning, and another schmuck joins The Authority looking for a good paycheck. Our guys haven't slipped yet, but The Authority _knows_ something is up and trying to stop their influence from expanding and eventually they're going to turn to you and once they do...it's over for us."

"Are you suggesting that I'd crack?" She asked, all nervousness replaced with irritation. "I'm the one who goes in there every damn day and is legitimately risking their life by sending confidential emails to Wade and have been for a couple years. If anything, I'm the one _least_ likely to crack, fuck you very much."

"What makes you so confident that you'd-"

"Hey, hey. Both of you need to calm down and cut the shit out." Roman intervened, stepping between the two and pushing Dean back a couple steps. "Ronnie you're doing fine, and you're getting paranoid Ambrose. We all are going to be fine so long as we stay on the same page."

"We all just need to relax." Wade cut in leaning back against the bar beside Veronica. "They're not suspicious of us at this point in time and we can keep it that way if we stick to the routine. Now are we plotting to kill the bastards or not?"

"That is why I said we needed to meet up." Dean agreed, heading behind the bar to pour a round for the group. The twins came to sit at the bar as well, now that it seemed that Dean and Veronica had settled things for now. The argument would resurface in about a month, as it typically did, but they had time to sort things out before it came back up.

"We were thinking bullets, but that would be traceable." Jimmy spoke for himself and his twin, Jey nodding his agreement. "Anything involving our hands would be too easy to pinpoint and you know people are going to actually look into the cause of death regardless even if it doesn't look like murder."

"Wealthy business woman, police commissioner, and the mayor of the town all die mysteriously? Yeah, that news could go national." Veronica murmured, looking to Wade as the Brit bit his thumb. "What's got you thinking, Wade?"

"I'm certain that there's a way to poison them that would make it look like natural causes."

"Kill Vince first, people will think it's his age before anything else despite his good health." Roman suggested, Dean nodding his agreement as he passed the glasses around. "I've got to make a call to my parents then, see what my mom has access to at the hospital upstate that could help with our cause."

"Tell her that I love her." Veronica requested, patting the Samoan's shoulder before the group took their shot in solidarity. "Also, I'm busy Saturday night so I won't be here."

"Busy doing what?"

"Working." She lied, not wanting to tell them about her date with Shane at this point because she didn't want them suggesting that she seduce her boss into joining The Resistance. "Quarterly budget analysis time and everybody needs to schedule meetings with Steph and Shane. Sixty-four emails in twenty minutes, my friends."

"This is why you're the insider. Office work like that would drive me nuts." Wade laughed, Veronica giving a small smile in return as the uneasiness crept into her stomach. There was something about killing The Authority that just didn't sit right with her and gave her extremely bad vibes.


	7. Planting Bugs

"How the fuck do you get stabbed while wearing our armor?" Bubba asked, watching as Devon worked on stitching the wound up.

"I don't have the armor on my arms, asshole." Shane shot back through gritted teeth, the numbing agent wearing off just enough that he could feel the needle in his arm. "And there were like four of them to one me, so things were a bit uneven."

"Did you learn anything?" Devon asked, trying to keep Shane's mind off of the fact that he was getting stitched up.

"Steph is actively looking for a gun trafficker that isn't on her payroll. Enzo Amore."

"That little asshole?" Bubba laughed, but Shane didn't know what was so funny about it. Veronica seemed genuinely concerned about Enzo, therefore he should be concerned, right? "Go figure. Sources say he's working on supplying The Resistance."

"Sources? What sources?" Shane asked, dark eyes locked on to Bubba with obvious irritation on his features. "I've been running around putting my life and body on the line for info and you've had sources this whole time?"

"They're not the most reliable and the last thing we want is you running around on a wild goose chase." Devon reasoned, trying to defuse the situation before the two started trading blows. "You've got a date with your assistant on Saturday?"

"How'd you know?"

"Two people having dinner alone on a Saturday night doesn't scream business despite the Google calendar event."

"She could be an informant for your sister." Bubba warned, watching as Shane squared his jaw. Just how great was this assistant if she was already a sensitive subject for Shane? This could potentially mean trouble (and a lot of it) if her intentions weren't aligned with theirs. "And if she is, what will you do?"

"Nothing, because I know that she isn't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know her." Shane reasoned as Devon rethreaded his needle. "You don't see her like I do, okay? You don't see the way she looks at Steph, or Hunter, or anybody known to work for them. I'm with her every damn day, I _know_ how she works."

"How do you know she isn't playing you like a damn fiddle!?" Bubba shouted, something that had Shane standing from his chair with enough momentum to send it back three feet across the room. Shane was officially on the defensive, which told the Dudleys that this assistant of his was a _very_ sensitive topic. "She could be using you to get the info she needs to destroy you and you're letting your guard down enough to take her to dinner. If you go down, we go down with you Shane!"

"I know, Bubba! Fucking hell, I know!" Shane shouted, just as loud as Bubba but it was enough to startle both Dudleys into silence. Shane wasn't somebody who liked to raise his voice which meant that he was tired of being told off by Bubba. This also meant that he was getting tired of being questioned about his assistant. "We've got so much riding on this and I'm well aware of everything your family is risking to help me and I appreciate it. She's not filtering anything from me to report to Steph because she isn't a spy but even if she was I wouldn't give her anything to report. I'm trying to get close to her but I'm not a goddamn idiot to give her extremely personal information when she isn't giving me anything close to that."

"She's hiding things from you?" Devon asked, trying to shift the subject enough to calm things down. They weren't getting anywhere while Shane and Bubba were yelling at each other so he needed the two on calmer seas. He just hoped they didn't need too much directing because he really wasn't in the mood to do all that right now. Especially not when Shane had a wound that was _still_ open that he needed to finish stitching up that he could basically see it reopening as Shane

"She's got two fucking personalities. Uptight workerbee and loose bartender. I've seen her laid back a grand total of twice."

"You want her laid back?"

"And laid on her back." Bubba quipped, eating himself a one-finger salute from the McMahon. "I'm just sayin'."

"Get fucked, Bubba."

"You obviously need it more than me, my friend."

"Best case scenario has me getting it on Saturday night if she wants it."

"Which is best case scenario for us because people let their guards down with sexual partners because you're closer after having sex." Devon reasoned, pulling Shane back into the chair so he could finish stitching him up. "Just be careful, Shane. We don't want anything happening to you."

"I will be."

* * *

It was another Friday night where Dean needed a bartender and Veronica was happy to oblige. She needed to stop by anyway to let the guys know that she would be busy on Saturday and unavailable unless somebody was dying. She didn't intend on telling anybody that she would be on a date, because Dean would slip his shit and she _really_ wasn't interested in dealing with that. She was an adult, but Dean always had a hard time treating her like one.

"You're thinking hard, babygirl." Roman commented as he watched her clean glasses after closing. She was always pretty meticulous about it, but this time it was intense because she'd been drying one glass for the last five minutes. "Ronnie."

"Hmm?"

"What's on your mind?"

"I'm going to be unavailable tomorrow night, and I'm just worried about you guys."

"Unavailable why?"

"Work." She responded simply, setting the glass down on the counter and picking up another to avoid the Samoan's scrutinizing gaze.

"Work? Or is it _Shane_?"

"As far as Ambrose is concerned, it's work."

"Just be careful around him, kiddo." Roman warned, gently squeezing her shoulder in an effort to assure her that she was doing the right thing. "We all want you to be happy, but we just don't want you getting in deep with somebody working with Stephanie."

"I understand and appreciate that, but I'm not a goddamn kid anymore. I can take care of myself, Roman, why doesn't he believe that?"

"Because he's seen you lose everything, but he hasn't seen you break. He doesn't want you to break when he's not around to put you back together." Roman reasoned; his response surprising Veronica because she was expecting some response regarding Dean's masculinity, not something regarding Dean's concern for her mental state. "It's annoying, I'm sure, but it's not a misplaced concern."

"I still don't want him, or _anybody else_ , knowing."

"Secret's safe with me until Ambrose puts the real pressure on."

"That's all I ask." Veronica murmured, setting the last glass down before she started wiping down the bar. "What's on the agenda for tonight?"

"Wade's working late, trying to get his hands on some equipment to help us with eavesdropping in various Authority hideouts and the twins are working on finding the hideouts. With Enzo out, they've got to be getting weapons and equipment from somewhere and we need to know where."

"Stop the shipment and seize it for our own?"

"Something like that." Dean commented as he left the office, startling Veronica but Roman was unfazed. "How are things in the office?"

"A lot of Heyman for some reason." She responded, hating that she was seeing more of Paul Heyman than she would've liked. Seeing Heyman meant seeing Lesnar and she _really_ hated seeing Lesnar. "From the looks of things, he doesn't go anywhere without Lesnar these days which means that something has him on guard."

"They're up to something big."

"But what?" Roman asked, looking between Dean and Veronica. "Heyman runs the strip clubs, the _lowest_ part of their regime. What could they possibly be doing that would have him guarding himself like this?"

"Maybe they're combining the sex trafficking with something else?" Veronica suggested with a shrug, Amber eyes focused on the bar counter. "Giving Heyman more to do so he'll pull a bit more of his weight. He comes into the office, has a meeting with Steph and Shane that lasts maybe fifteen minutes, then Shane leaves and Paul is still in Steph's office for at least an hour."

"We need ears in that office."

"I'll see what I can do when Wade gets that equipment." Veronica assured, knowing that it would be no easy task but she was probably the only person who could get it done. She knew the building much better than anybody else and she knew where Stephanie would actually be looking for bugs and wires. She'd get it done.

"If Wade gets the shit tonight, could you have the place bugged by Monday morning?"

"If he gets it tonight I'll do it tonight."

"Will you need help?"

"Backup in case cops are called. Getting into a shootout isn't on my agenda but it'd be exciting." She was basically lying through her teeth, because there was so much that could go wrong with this whole thing. She couldn't have dinner with Shane, in his house, with gunshot wounds because she was really hoping that dinner wouldn't _just_ be dinner. Not exactly her classiest thought process but Shane did that kind of thing to her.

* * *

 _"Alright, I've tapped into the city's security but I don't know how long I'll be in here because we aren't the only people watching and if I can see them they can probably see me."_ Wade's voice sounded through the headsets Dean and Veronica were wearing, the duo exchanging a glance as they started jogging the two blocks to get to the office building.

"Define 'see'?" Veronica requested, pulling the gloves from her back pocket as she moved while waiting on Wade's response.

 _"I see their IP address and it isn't the city's or the police and is constantly changing which will make them impossible to pinpoint."_

"They're not cops or Authority therefore we don't know if they're friend or foe but they're not exactly a problem either." Dean decided, following Veronica into the alleyway and following her lead by putting on his pair of black gloves and covering his face with the black bandana that was once on his head.

 _"Scrubbed the city's security footage and tapping into the building's security as we speak."_ Wade informed as Dean and Veronica climbed onto the dumpster behind the building, Dean using the wall to keep himself steady as Veronica climbed onto his back. _"What all do you need, Ronnie?"_

"Invisibility, unlocked doors, and elevator access." She listed, keeping herself steady as Dean slowly stood to get her higher.

"Got eyes on the custodial?" Dean asked, wincing at how loud Veronica taking the vent cover sounded in the dead quiet alleyway.

"No need." Veronica responded, handing the cover down to Dean instead of dropping it like she wanted to. "Last crew left at seven-thirty."

 _"The building is empty and dead quiet. I won't shut the system off until you're inside, don't want to risk any alerts being sent out while you're sixteen stories up."_ Wade explained as Veronica lifted herself into the ventilation shaft.

"Be safe, kiddo." Dean murmured, something that made Veronica smile despite her earlier conversation with Roman regarding Dean's overprotective tendencies. But now was a time for the personal feelings to be put aside because getting caught her would mean getting killed by Stephanie McMahon and that _really_ wasn't on her agenda for the night.

"Alright, I'm in." She announced once she dropped into the third floor copy room. She waited until Wade gave her the go-ahead, then dashed for the elevator.

 _"Already called it for you."_ Wade informed, getting a smirk out of Veronica when the doors opened the second she pushed the button. _"No thanks needed, sweetheart, just get in and get out within five minutes."_

"Are they going to be here in five minutes or are they being called in five minutes?" She asked over Dean's aggravated grunt, needing more information as the elevator started its ascent to the sixteenth floor.

 _"Called in five minutes. Fastest response will be about ninety seconds, so you actually have about seven minutes to be on your way."_

"Thank god these elevators are newer and faster than most." Veronica praised, grateful that Stephanie was very diligent about building maintenance as she watched the numbers rise until the doors opened up to the sixteenth floor.

 _"I don't want to alarm anybody, but a car just pulled into the parking garage."_ Dean informed, tone betraying just how wary he was. _"Nice ass car too."_

"Tell me you're out of sight." She requested, looking into Shane's office to see his laptop still on the desk. "It's most likely Shane, his laptop is still in his office and he rarely leaves that behind."

 _"I'm with the car kiddo. Do what you need to do and don't let your boyfriend see you."_

"He's not my- nevermind. I'm kicking your ass later Ambrose." She warned, standing on Stephanie's desk so she could reach into the vent to place the listening device. "Good placement, Wade?"

 _"Perfect, sweetheart. Now hide because that elevator is about to open."_ The Brit warned, so she jumped down and hid under Stephanie's desk while waiting for the all-clear. She could hear Shane's whistling, something that made her smile despite the fact that she was currently hiding under his sister's desk when she wasn't even supposed to be on that side of town. She had it so bad for Shane McMahon, it was definitely laughable. _"Alright he's back in the elevator. Once he's on the tenth floor, I'll stop the elevator to buy you time to use the stairwell as your escape route."_

 _"And I'll be waiting across the street."_ Dean chimed in, Veronica giving her acknowledgement as she entered the stairwell and started jogging down the stairs. With every two flights, she gladly took off another day of cardio from her exercise schedule and was out the door and across the street just as the sirens could be heard in the distance.

"I'm in the car with Dean, headed for the bar. See you there." She informed Wade as she climbed from the backseat to the passenger's seat, taking off her beanie and bandana before removing her gloves and fastening her seatbelt. "Drive calm."

"Any problems?"

"Everything is solid." She assured, taking her phone from the glovebox when she heard it vibrate.

 _'Remind me to schedule maintenance on the elevator Monday morning'_

"And Shane doesn't have a damn clue that we were in there at the same time." She smirked, tying her response and fist bumping Dean as they made their way to the bar. No shooting, no issues, just The Resistance (hopefully) getting the upper hand in their battle against The Authority.


	8. Date

She wasn't sure what she was expecting when Shane showed her around the first floor of the house, but she certainly wasn't expecting this. It was a bit extravagant for her tastes, yet still so modest when compared to his sister's home. She felt underdressed just walking around his home, and she was wearing basically the same things he was.

"You're analyzing." He commented, bringing her from her thoughts as she stood beside him in the kitchen, smile on his face letting her know that he was basically teasing. "Is it too much?"

"No, no. It's very...you." Veronica murmured, rubbing her forearm out of nervous habit while he worked on plating the alfredo. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"You can pick out a wine if you'd like." He suggested, pointing her to the wine cabinet that was hidden in the island counter. Veronica only nodded, not knowing too much about wine to start with, but wasn't going to allow herself to be hindered by that. Google was her friend in situations like the this. "Preferably white."

 _'Bless you, Shane'_ The brunette cheered, picking a random bottle of white wine from the rack and standing straight to inspect it. "Chardonnay okay with you?"

"Sounds lovely, sweetheart." He praised, from where she wasn't certain because he was no longer in the kitchen. Where the hell did he go so quickly? She really didn't like being alone in unfamiliar surroundings and now she was really bothered. It was only a moment before he reappeared in the doorway she hadn't noticed, going into the cabinet behind her to pull two glasses down before gently taking her hand in his to lead her to the dining room.

The room was dimly lit, but she really didn't mind it as her mind was occupied by the fact that the room was candlelit. Shane was definitely a romantic, this idea firmly settled in her mind as he pulled her chair out for her and pushed it in before heading back into the kitchen for a wine bottle opener. She had to wonder if he went all-out like this for all of his dates.

"I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when you said that you wanted to try dinner again." He commented as he re-entered the dining room, pouring into the two glasses as he sat down. "Especially after I had to practically force you to go to the bar with me to eat last time."

"I was having a pretty good time with you at the bar and realized that I had been keeping my distance because I feared that you were a lot like your sister." She explained as she picked up her fork, smiling at him in an effort to help herself relax. "But you're nothing like her and I apologize."

"Not necessary, but I accept your apology." He replied, dark eyes as warm and kind as ever as they met her amber eyes. She was constantly amazed by how different Shane was from the rest of his family, and really hoped that wore off because living in a state of shock probably wasn't good for her mental health.

Their dinner went well, Veronica telling him a bit more about herself while not telling him too much and Shane doing the same. She knew that she needed to get close to him for information, but she also wasn't stupid enough to ignore her own feelings. The Resistance was important to her, but she cared a lot about her own happiness and she knew that running The Authority out of power (or killing them if Dean got his way) wouldn't be as sweet if she went back to her everyday life with nothing interesting going on. Her excitement was The Resistance, Shane would help her have something else to excite her.

* * *

"...and there I was, wearing only some shorts and a hat, and this bear is staring right at me because I happened to be in between this bear -mother bear- and her cub."

"Jesus, what did you do?"

"Side step slowly towards the park ranger so she could see that her cub was alright, collect her cub, and leave the area without myself or my friends being harmed."

"I don't think I could do that without screaming or crying at the very least." Veronica admitted, small smile on her face despite being awed at Shane's bravery and the fact that he was so cool. Drives a Jaguar (and apparently a Ferrari but she hadn't seen that yet), rides a Ducati, is phenomenal in the kitchen and was almost killed by a bear but was still relaxed about it? He was probably the coolest person she knew.

"I'm sure you would've been fine in that position. You're always so calm about everything."

"Yeah, but I don't do feral mammals. Especially the ones larger than I am that could rip my face off."

"Fair enough." Shane murmured, reaching up to push her hair back. "You deal with my sister just fine though."

"Ha ha." She laughed dryly as Shane chuckled at his joke. She was having such a good time that she wasn't thinking about what the guys wanted her to do, she was thinking about what Sami had told her and doing this for her. She did enough as it was, she didn't have to go the extra mile for The Resistance in her love life too.

"You're thinking." He commented, tilting her chin so she'd make eye contact. "You're not second guessing, are you?"

"I actually was thinking about how good of a time I've had tonight." She assured, greatly enjoying the relieved smile that spread across his face. "Why would I second guess?"

"I did just call my sister a feral animal."

"You weren't wrong, and it was actually funny." She commented with a small smile, noticing the way he was trying to be subtle about how he was shifting closer to her and not at all uncomfortable with where she thought this was going. "A sense of humor is pretty important to me."

"Never would've guessed based on your behavior at the office."

"I'm a completely different person when I'm in that building; didn't you figure that out already?"

"I did, and I've made it my mission to get to know you outside the office. " He spoke lowly, his hand cupping her cheek as he leaned in a bit more. "Didn't you figure that out already?"

"You aren't exactly subtle about your intentions."

"And I never intended to be." Shane murmured before his lips met hers in what Veronica hoped would be the first kiss of many. It was everything she had wanted it to be, everything she had expected too. Very relaxed, but he was very calculated in his movements and she just moved with him until her back hit the arm of the couch and he pulled back to check on her. "I plan on getting to know you thoroughly, sweetheart."

"Sounds good." She was inwardly panicking because there were things he couldn't know because she didn't trust him enough, but reminded herself that getting to know somebody thoroughly took a good amount of time and she had plenty of time to figure out just what was off limits to Shane. Her name, for one, was obviously off limits until his family was out of power.

Shane was just about to kiss her again when the sound of her phone vibrating on the coffee table had her turning her head to see what was going on and his lips meeting her cheek.

"I am so so sorry, but I have to take this."

"Feel free." He assured, sitting back so she would have the space she needed to stand with her phone so she could have the privacy she needed to take the call.

She paced while she was on the phone, and looked extremely irritated as she spoke to whoever it was. She was trying really hard to keep her cool, he wasn't sure if it was for his sake or for the sake of whoever she was talking to, but it was interesting to watch the way certain parts of her body tensed up as she worked to control her emotions. Her body language always spoke volumes and he figured out that decoding her body language was a good way to decode her but sometimes he wasn't sure what certain things meant.

"Fucking hell, Dean. I'm an adult with three black belts; pretty sure I can take care of myself… Don't give me that shit, Ambrose…. I'm going to enjoy my night, you figure your shit out and I will see you tomorrow like I do every Sunday."

With that the conversation was done, Veronica letting out a quiet grunt of what Shane assumed was frustration as she continued to pace. She was thinking hard, and he didn't want her thinking hard. When she got deep in thought she put her guard up and he didn't want her guarding herself from him. So he stood, crossing the large living room in four steps so he could stop her in her tracks and gently pry her phone out of her hand. It started vibrating again, Dean's name and picture flashing on the screen, but he ignored the call and pocketed her phone before taking her hands in his.

"You're thinking hard again, and you need to not be."

"I'm sorry, he just pisses me off."

"He cares about you and I respect that. However, you're in good hands and you have three black belts, you're fine." He assured, bringing her hands up to his lips to kiss her knuckles. "Let's get some water or something, okay? You're flushed."

"I'd rather down the rest of that wine, but okay." She murmured, letting him guide her to the kitchen with a smile on her face.

"I don't want you drunk. It's only the first date, you should remember it clearly so you can judge whether or not you really want a second."

"I already know that I want a second date."

"May I suggest breakfast in the morning?" He asked, seductive smirk on his face as he handed her a small glass of water.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Shane?"

"Depends. Is it working?"

"You tell me." She murmured, leaning up to kiss him again but the TV turning on had them looking through the doorway as the news came on. "What was that?"

"Faulty wiring or a shitty TV, I dunno with this house anymore." He lied, knowing that the Dudleys had remote access to his TV and knowing that they were trying to tell him something. Why they opted to potentially ruin his date rather than just send him a text message, he wasn't sure but he was going to find out tomorrow.

 _"...and authorities are still on the hunt for suspects Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy, offering a ten-thousand dollar reward given the nature of their crimes."_ The blonde reporter finished from where she was standing in front of where Veronica knew was the hideout that she and Dean had saved Sami from. The building was in flames, and she knew that wasn't the doing of The Resistance. They had stopped with the arson years ago.

The Dudleys had wanted him to see that for a reason, but he was going to ignore this for now because he really didn't want to kill the mood any further than her phone call with Dean already had. So he did what he had to do, rushing to shut the TV off and smiling sheepishly at the brunette as she leaned against the doorframe with her glass of water.

"Trying to save the evening?"

"Something like that."

"This night has been so good that it's impossible to ruin." She assured, her smile assuring him that everything was actually okay as she closed the distance between them. "Hopefully Enzo doesn't come up every time we're on a date."

"One can only hope." He murmured, watching as she set her glass down on the coffee table before wrapping her arms around his neck. "We were about to do something, weren't we?"

"Hopefully a lot of it, too." Veronica responded before rising up on her toes to kiss him once again. It was just as relaxed as their first, Shane quickly taking the lead as his hands settled on her hips beneath her tshirt. Her hip hit the couch, Shane lifting her onto the back of the couch to assist with the height difference. His hands stayed on her thighs, her arms wrapping around his neck in an attempt to get closer until she felt his pocket vibrate. "That's yours."

"Goddamnit." He muttered, pecking her lips as he fished his phone out of his pocket. "What, Bubba?"

 _"I know you're on a date with your hot assistant but you need to be watching the news."_

"I'm not turning the TV on. What happened?"

 _"Somebody blew up a police car and started a shootout."_ The Dudley informed, and Shane had to pull Veronica's vibrating phone from his back pocket so she could deal with that. _"I'd suggest you check it out, could get in you close with the you-know-who."_

Shane didn't even get the chance to respond, Bubba hanging up and leaving him to look at Veronica's serious expression as she listened to whoever was on the other line. Her demeanor was different from when she was talking to Dean, she was much more tense and her eyes actually gave away that she was concerned about something.

"Just relax, Sami. Just calm them all down and get them to my place, I don't care what you have to say or do. I'm on my way out there." She instructed before hanging up, tipping her head back with a sigh. "If it's not one thing, it's another."

"The shootout?"

"Right in front of the bar and somebody was shot in the crossfire, Sami was too frantic to tell me who but I need to go." She rushed the explanation, sliding off the couch and letting him lead her to the door. "Shenanigans aside, I had a really good time tonight."

"I'm glad. My offer for breakfast tomorrow still stands." He smiled, taking her shaking hands in his. "I'm actually going to drive you wherever you need to go."

"Shane I couldn't-"

"You're shaking and I wouldn't feel comfortable with you out on the road, regardless of circumstance." Shane spoke, grabbing his keys and ending the conversation without giving her time to argue, but she wasn't upset about it. She appreciated him wanting to take care of her, and she knew that she deserved this much, but she wasn't sure how Dean would react to Shane walking through the front door with her. But she supposed that he would have to deal with it, because she knew Shane wouldn't be giving her any options on the matter.

"One condition."

"Name it."

"We stick together for the night and get breakfast in the morning."

"This night will end on a good note if it fucking kills me." He assured, grabbing his coat and hers as they left the house. "Everything will be okay."

"God I hope so."


End file.
